Trouble has entered the house of God in Imo State as the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN), is in turmoil.
Trumpeta learnt that there is leadership crisis arising from the outcome of the conduct of the election.
While conflicting reports have it that the chairmanship election of Imo State Chapter of CAN has been declared inconclusive due alleged constitutional breaches and an unresolved voting outcome, another version has it that a Catholic priest lost the election to be the head of the organisation in the state.
This is coming even as the National Committee was reported to have disclosed that no candidate secured the constitutionally mandated two-thirds majority required for a winner to emerge.
The CAN constitution, Trumpeta learnt stipulates that a valid election outcome must meet this threshold to be deemed credible and binding.
The election process which involved an Electoral College composed of 15 members—three representatives from each of CAN’s five recognized blocs. While Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Gerald C. Njoku was initially returned unopposed by this group, the broader ratification by the CAN State Executive Committee (SEC)—made up of 27 Local Government Chairmen and 10 bloc leaders—did not meet the constitutional requirement for final approval.
From what the newspaper got, according to official figures, Fr. Gerald received 38 votes, while 46 members withheld their ratification. The shortfall means the required two-thirds majority was not achieved. As per CAN’s constitutional guidelines, the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) must now resubmit his name for a final round of voting by the Electoral College.
Meanwhile, more troubles emerged when it was gathered that the National Committee may have officially dissolved the leadership of Rev. Eches Divine Eches, whose tenure expired on May 19, 2025. Rev. Eches represented the TEKAN and ECWA Fellowship bloc. His administration’s dissolution marks the formal end of his term and that of his executive members.
Pending the final outcome of the chairmanship race, the leadership of the Imo State CAN now resides temporarily with the Catholic bloc, as directed by the National Committee.
The rotational leadership structure enshrined in the CAN constitution mandates that the chairmanship rotates among its five blocs every five years. With the TEKAN bloc’s tenure now complete, the chairmanship is due to move to the CSN bloc.
In the meantime, other key leadership positions have been allocated as follows:
Deputy Chairman – From the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN)
Secretary – From the Christian Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (CPFN)
Treasurer – From The Evangelical Church Winning All/Northern Church bloc (TeKAN).
Information available has it that parties are now at war over the development with confusion overtaking activities in Imo CAN.
